Technology360

FCC's Plan For Reducing Broadcasters' Spectrum Allocation

This week's [NAB]TV TechCheck continues our report on the Report and Order (R&O) in the Second Periodic Review of the Commission's Rules and Policies Affecting the Conversion To Digital Television released on September 7, 2004. This article focuses on the parts of the R&O that relate to the broadcasters' DTV transmission facilities now and in the future, outlines the plan to reduce the amount of spectrum used by broadcasters and other issues include simulcasting requirements and distributed transmission systems. ...¶... As there are many details in the Order that can affect a station, NAB urges that each station undertake a detailed review to determine the optimal course of action permitted by this R&O. The full text can be accessed... National Association of Broadcasters link [pdf]

Broadcasters Object to Planned Digital TV Bill

U.S. television broadcasters on Monday labeled as inadequate planned legislation to ensure millions of consumers can still watch television once broadcasters begin airing only in digital. ¶ Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain plans to offer a bill on Tuesday that would require broadcasters to only air the new, crisp digital television signals by 2009 and would subsidize the cost for those consumers who rely on traditional television to see those signals. ... Reuters.com link

Radio to Go

The folks at iPodder may be on to something very big. As I've said before, one area of neglect on the 'Net is the availability of "talkie" MP3s that people can listen to while on the road. This might include news programs, articles read aloud, or talk radio. The biggest problem, until now, has been finding and gathering them as they are released. ¶ That's where iPodder comes in. iPodder is an application that uses RSS to determine when a new MP3 is available, then downloads the MP3 and places it on your portable audio device. Essentially, it is a Tivo for Internet radio shows. ... Poynter Online link

Report: "Consumer-supported media" leading sector growth

The Veronis Suhler Stevenson Communications Industry Forecast & Report says the communications sector is in good economic shape, and can expect healthy growth over the next four years. ¶ Especially impressive was the outlook for "consumer-supported" media like satellite radio. ...¶... Solid gains in consumer spending on media like "cable & satellite television, home video, the Internet and satellite radio" led to an increase of "total communications spending" of 4.6% to $648.3 billion in 2003, the fastest growth since 2000. ¶ In fact, subscription- or monthly charge-based media ... have grown so quickly that "consumer-end user spending" actually replaced advertising last year as the largest component of total communications spending for the first time in recorded industry history. ... Radio And Internet Newsletter link Thanks to Mark Fuerst of iMa for the tip. --Dennis

TV and the Net

Media junkies have felt a small shiver of anticipation from recent press reports pointing to a linkup between NetFlix, the mail-order video-rental company, and TiVo, the hard-disk home video system. Maybe we'll soon see the NetFlix catalog made available via the Internet. ¶ The idea definitely has some allure. Anything that lets us avoid a trip to the video-rental store, while simultaneously offering more choices of movies, sounds good at first glance. In some ways, it's the future of home entertainment. ¶ If such a service ever does take shape, however, it'll likely include severe restrictions on what customers can do with what they've rented. The copyright wars ensure that. ¶ The service would further reinforce a business model that reflects the entertainment industry's narrow view of the world. To Hollywood, we are nothing but ``consumers'' of ``content,'' and as digital content takes over we will rent, not purchase, what we consume. ... Silicon Valley - Dan Gillmor's eJournal link

Plan for digital TV on the internet

TELECOMS giant BT is set to offer a new pay-per-view digital TV service through the internet. ¶ It wants to beam top film and programmes down broadband lines straight into TV sets at millions of homes. ¶ The telecom operator has been in talks with a number of makers of Freeview receivers to develop set-top boxes hat will connect broadband and internet services to TV sets. ... Evening Times link (Edinburgh)

Sen. McCain Seeks $1 Billion to Speed Digital TV Shift

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain is pushing for up to $1 billion in aid to ensure consumers are not left in the dark when television stations broadcast only new, crisp digital signals, according to draft legislation obtained on Sunday. ¶ McCain's measure would require broadcasters to air only digital television signals by 2009 and help consumers who rely on traditional television sets buy a device that would convert digital back into a format that they could watch. ... Reuters link

FCC Plans Education Campaign on Digital TV

Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell plans to launch a digital-TV consumer-education campaign in early October. ... MediaDailyNews link

Commerce public-safety bill...

The Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday is expected to consider a public-safety communications bill, “The Save Lives Act,”... ¶... The Save Lives Act—Spectrum Available for Emergency Response and Law Enforcement to Improve Vital Emergency Services—also sets the end of the digital transition at Jan. 1, 2009, and offers a subsidy to low-income Americans that receive their TV channels from over-the-air broadcasting. ¶ The Save Lives Act would set aside $1 billion from an auction of the broadcaster-returned spectrum to occur before the end of 2006 for the DTV subsidy. TV broadcasters were given one channel—6 megahertz—of spectrum to complete the DTV transition. ... RCR Wireless News link

What is HDTV?

Another guide to HDTV. eCoustics.com link. Actually, that's just the latest in an impressive list of articles that eCoustics has on HD, home theater, and related topics. Thanks to DesignTechnica for the tip. --Dennis